Personal pronouns & saying "I am…"
BasicsKazakh has no word for "is" or "are" in the present tense. Instead, a personal ending attaches to the word you are describing yourself with.
The eight pronouns
сен — you (informal, to a friend or child)
сіз — you (polite, to an elder or stranger)
ол — he / she / it (no gender in Kazakh!)
біз — we
сендер — you all (informal plural)
сіздер — you all (polite plural)
олар — they
Note the two levels of "you": use сіз with anyone older than you or anyone you would call Mr/Ms — exactly like French vous or German Sie.
There is no "is"
But for I / you / we, a personal ending attaches to the noun:
мен → -мын/-мін: Мен мұғаліммін — I am a teacher.
сен → -сың/-сің: Сен студентсің — You are a student.
сіз → -сыз/-сіз: Сіз дәрігерсіз — You are a doctor.
біз → -мыз/-міз: Біз доспыз — We are friends (after a voiceless consonant, м becomes п: дос + пыз).
ол / олар → no ending: Ол әнші — She is a singer.
The first sound of the 1st-person ending adapts to the word: after vowels and м, н, ң, л, р, у, й it is м- (мұғаліммін), after з and ж it becomes б- (жалғызбын — "I am alone"), and after voiceless consonants п- (қазақпын — I am Kazakh).
Hear the endings
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Мен мұғаліммін.I am a teacher.мұғалім + -мін
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Мен қазақпын.I am Kazakh.қазақ ends in voiceless қ → -пын
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Сен студентсің.You are a student. (informal)
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Сіз дәрігерсіз.You are a doctor. (polite)
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Ол әнші.He / she is a singer.3rd person: no ending at all
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Біз доспыз.We are friends.дос ends in voiceless с → -пыз
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Олар оқушы.They are pupils.
Practice
8 sentences · multiple choice · English → Kazakh